Matt Smith joins Star Wars Episode IX cast

Matt Smith has signed up for a role in Star Wars Episode IX. The Doctor Who, Terminator: Genisys and The Crown alum has landed an undisclosed part to play in the trilogy-closer, which is being directed by The Force Awakens‘ J. J. Abrams.

Variety broke the news, describing Matt Smith’s Star Wars character as a “key role” in the film. This, of course, led to endless internet jokes about the possibility of Smith playing the father to Daisy Ridley’s Rey.

The truth is that we don’t know who Smith is playing in the film, and his range is so far-reaching that he could slot convincingly into either side of the conflict between the Empire-aping First Order and the plucky Resistance rebels.

We know Smith can play a zany hero (which would be a perfect fit for the Resistance or perhaps even the Jedi Order), a stern bloke in a uniform (which is basically the job specification for The First Order officers) and pretty much everything in between.

Other new cast members for Star Wars Episode IX include Keri Russell, Richard E Grant, Dominic Monaghan and Naomi Ackie. Returning faces from the franchise’s previous instalments include Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Joonas Suotamo, Adam Driver, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, who will be spliced into the film using repurposed archival footage.